


It Means He Likes You

by missmichellebelle



Series: Tropetember [1]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Elementary School, Bullying, Elementary School, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 18:54:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2239719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmichellebelle/pseuds/missmichellebelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“My mama says that when a boy pushes you down and treats you bad, it means he likes you.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Means He Likes You

**Author's Note:**

> **Tropetember** is a month long event where the goal is to write a fic fulfilling a different trope/AU every day. If there is a specific trope/AU you would like to see, please [drop me an ask on tumblr](http://missmichellebelle.tumblr.com/ask).
> 
> Ian is 8, Mickey is 10/11, and there is some bullying in place of healthy expression of feelings. Because as kids, we are often told that if someone is mean to us, it means they like us. Not that I condone it, but. It felt like a fitting bit of (un)sage wisdom that worked with Gallavich.

Ian is waiting in line behind Lacy from his class when a boy from another class walks over and pushes her down. He watches this happen with wide eyes and an even wider mouth. Fiona always tells him _never_ to push people (unless they push first). Ian frowns at the boy as he takes Lacy’s turn on the swings, and then he holds out his hand to help her up.

“Are you okay?” He asks as she snubs his hand and stands up by herself, dusting sand from her skort. She doesn’t _look_ hurt. And she’s smiling. Which is weird. Ian doesn’t usually feel like smiling after he’s been pushed. Unless he’s wrestling with Lip. But that’s because Lip isn’t _trying_ to hurt him. Not _really_.

“I’m fine.” She grins at him, and then takes her place back in line in front of him. Ian frowns a little bit—he’s _next_ —but decides she was just pushed. She should get to go on the swings.

“Why’d that boy push you?” Ian can’t help but ask, watching him on the swing and frowning. He’s bigger than Ian is, and Lip says not to start fights with bigger kids.

“My mama says that when a boy pushes you down and treats you bad, it means he likes you,” Lacy responds with all the assurance of an eight-year-old.

“He _like_ -likes you?” Ian asks, confused. That doesn’t _sound_ like _like_ -liking, but Ian has never like-liked anyone. Even when Mandy, his bestest friend, had him play fake wedding, he just did it to make her smile. He likes her, but not _like_ -likes. And if he did, he would never push her down. That would make her sad.

“Yeah,” Lacy says with a happy sigh, watching the boy on the swing. “I think we’re gonna get married.”

Ian is still processing this new insight— _when someone is mean to you, it means they like-like you_ —but he still asks, “Can I come?” Weddings have cake, after all.

*

Mickey Milkovich is a dirty and scary looking fifth-grader that even the middle schoolers are afraid of. He’s also Mandy’s big brother.

Ian sees him sometimes, across the playground, sitting at the top of the jungle gym dome and challenging anyone to try and approach. No one ever does. ‘Cept Mandy, but Mandy is the bravest person Ian knows if only because she’s not afraid of Mickey.

Ian doesn’t think he’s so scary looking, but if _everyone_ thinks he’s scary, everyone must be right.

One day during recess, Mandy makes Ian go with her to the jungle gym, and he walks a few feet behind her, staring at the blacktop.

“Hey dickface!” Mandy calls up the jungle gym, and Ian’s eyes widen at the ground. “I need lunch money.”

“Why you asking me for?” Mickey’s voice isn’t as scary as Ian imagined. That’s a little comforting. As much as him and Mandy have been best friends since kindergarten, he’s never been to her house before, and so he’s never _had_ to talk to Mickey. He knows that she has lots of brothers, and that her mommy died, and that she really, really doesn’t like being home.

Which is okay, because they can have sleepovers all the time since Ian’s mommy and daddy are never there to say no.

“‘Cause I’m hungry, that’s why.”

“Go get your own!”

Ian reaches out and touches the sleeve of Mandy’s jacket tentatively.

“Mandy, I can just share my lunch with you, it’s okay.” Fiona told him to stop sharing his lunch with people, but Ian doesn’t mind. Mandy always steals him chips and candy from the vending machine when he asks her to.

“That your boyfriend?” Mickey sneers from above them, and Ian finally lifts his eyes. Mickey’s face might be dirty, but it isn’t scary to look at.

“No,” Ian replies, a bit more loudness in his voice, and Mandy hugs his arm.

“He’s my _husband_ ,” she spits back at her brother, snuggling closer to Ian’s side.

“That was just pretend,” Ian tells her gently, and she pouts at him, but Ian is looking up at Mickey again. Him and Mandy have the same pretty blue eyes.

The next day, when Mickey shoves him _hard_ against the water fountain, Ian thinks he shouldn’t have looked at all. Like maybe that’s what suddenly put him on Mickey Milkovich’s radar.

*

It starts as just shoving and pushing, and always when Ian is alone. Mickey will bump him into walls, or come up behind him before pushing so hard at his back that Ian scrapes up his hands and knees to keep his face from hitting the ground. People see, but they don’t say anything, and Mickey never touches him if Mandy is around. He doesn’t tell her. Even if Mandy isn’t scared of her brother, Ian doesn’t want him hurting Mandy, too.

But he doesn’t tell Lip or Fiona, either. Even if Fiona could probably make it stop, because she’s bigger and older and smarter than all of them. She makes his lunches and tucks him in at night. She’s the best big sister ever, and Ian doesn’t want to make her upset. It’s not _so_ bad.

And then one day Ian asks the teacher if he can go to the bathroom during class, and somehow Mickey is in the boy’s bathroom waiting for him. Ian gets so scared that he jumps, but he doesn’t run. He stands there and stares at Mickey defiantly.

He comes home that afternoon with a black eye and a split lip.

“Who the fuck did this to you?” Fiona asks as she presses a bag of frozen peas to his face. Ian doesn’t say anything, staring down at his sneakers with his one good eye. Fiona doesn’t press, just sighs heavily and pets his hair. It feels nice.

“Hey Fi,” Ian starts quietly, swinging his legs back and forth so that his heels bump against the kitchen cabinets. “If someone is mean to you, does it mean they like you?”

“Did a _girl_ do this to you, Ian? Jesus christ…” Fiona mumbles, shaking her head and pulling the peas away. She tips his chin up so that he has to meet her concerned eyes. “You probably didn’t even hit her back, huh?”

Ian doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t know how to say _not a girl, a boy_. Doesn’t know why he thought of what Lacy said by the swings a very long time ago.

“Sometimes kids do mean things because they don’t know how to do anything else, all right? They got family problems, or something, that makes them not able to deal with their feelings,” Fiona explains as she wipes at his lip with a wet napkin. “So yeah, sometimes little kids push other little kids down, ‘cause they don’t know _how_ to like someone. That doesn’t make it okay, though, you hear me?” She gives him a stern look. “You ever push a girl around, and _I’ll_ beat you up, understand?”

Ian smiles at her.

“Good.” She pats his cheek gently. “You’ll be a gentleman yet. Now go lie down, and keep the peas on your eye.”

*

Fiona must yell at Lip, because he starts following Ian around at school. Lip is Ian’s _most_ best friend, because they’re brothers, and sometimes they eat lunch together, but Lip has friends who think that Ian is a _baby_ , and while it makes him mad, Ian knows Lip doesn’t think he’s a baby. _Sometimes kids do mean things_.

With Lip around, Mickey doesn’t shove him nearly as much. Maybe because Lip being around mean Mandy doesn’t wander off as much as she usually does, either. Ian feels like he’s walking around with a forcefield.

Still, Ian can tell that Mickey watches him. Sometimes he looks straight back at Mickey and smiles.

*

The next time Ian is alone with Mickey, it’s in the bathroom again. Ian wonders if Mickey just goes there instead of class. He wonders if the teachers even look for him.

“So you got a body guard now?” Mickey teases him, lips curled up, and Ian knows he’s talking about Lip.

“Lip is my brother,” Ian replies, matter-of-factly, as he goes to wash his hands. “Are you going to beat me up again?” Ian asks, looking at Mickey through the mirror. Mickey cracks his knuckles and glares at him.

“That’s the plan,” Mickey tells him. Ian nods and dries his hands with paper towels.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” Mickey asks, incredulously, and it makes Ian smile a little bit. Ian shrugs.

“If beating me up makes you feel better, it’s okay. It makes me look kind of cool.” Ian will just have to tell Fiona a story. Maybe he’ll even tell her _he_ started the fight.

“Did I beat you up so hard last time that I messed up your brain?” Mickey looks, and sounds, a little scared that he might be right.

“No. My big sister told me that sometimes kids are mean because they don’t know how to be nice.” Ian walks closer to Mickey. “I can teach you. It’s not hard.”

“You’re such a _weirdo_ ,” Mickey spits at him, but Ian just walks right up to him, unflinching. “I’m going to _pummel_ you.”

“Okay.” Ian smiles at him. “I’m not scared of you.” And Ian realizes that he’s really not. Getting beat up isn’t fun. It hurts. But it goes away. And it does make him look cool. All the kids in his class think he’s cool because he had a black eye for a few days. Only cool kids have black eyes. “I know you’re doing it because you like me.”

Mickey freezes.

“…the fuck did you just say?” His voice comes out low and harsh, and Ian stares up at him. He’s a few inches taller.

“You beat me up because you like me.” Ian blinks at him. “Right?”

“You faggy freak, get the fuck away from me!”

And Ian stares at Mickey with wide, shocked eyes. He’s never seen the older boy look so… Scared.

“Okay,” Ian replies simply. “I’ll go back to class now. We’re going to play heads-up-seven-up.” Ian really doesn’t want to miss it. Before he moves away, he darts in and presses his lips to Mickey’s cheek—it’s not really that dirty, after all. And then he runs away, laughing, hoping he can get back to class before Mickey remembers to chase him.

*

At lunch the next day, Ian walks resolutely to the jungle gym dome, where Mickey is already sitting at the top. He looks at Ian like he’s some sort of scary monster.

It’s funny.

“What do _you_ want?” Mickey asks, eyes darting around.

“I have a fruit rollup. Want to share?” Ian holds up his sack lunch.

“…what?”

But Ian doesn’t repeat his question. He folds his lunch under his arm and starts climbing up the metal bars.

“Hey! I didn’t say you could come up here!” Mickey yells at him, but Ian ignores him, balancing himself near the top and starting to sort through his lunch.

“I have pringles, too. They’re the barbecue kind. Want some?” Ian asks, holding out the baggy. Mickey stares at him for a few long, hard seconds, and then snatches the bag out of his hand. Ian smiles.

Mickey doesn’t really talk to him for all of lunch, but… He doesn’t push Ian off the jungle gym, either.

**Author's Note:**

> [Read, Reblog, & Like on Tumblr](http://missmichellebelle.tumblr.com/post/96389373980/it-means-he-likes-you)


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